Athena Care Homes is leading the way in induction training by offering a comprehensive five-day hands-on course for all new starters.
The new induction course has been running for three months across our homes and all new team members, no matter what role they have secured, experience the same training. The week-long induction covers all aspects of care from moving and positioning to nutrition, with dignity at the heart of every session.
At the end of the week successful team members are awarded the care certificate, and the training then continues within our homes where the new recruits shadow experienced colleagues.
Lucy Hoddy, Learning and Development Manager at Athena Care Homes, said the new induction programme is further improving standards of care across the award-winning group while also giving the new starters extra confidence in their roles. our
“It feels special for new starters to get that certificate, it is a huge achievement for some of our team members who perhaps have had a long career break or are just starting out in their career,” said Lucy, pictured left.
The trainers cover important topics including the biology of the kidneys, liver and bladder, and look at a range of health conditions that residents may have.
Learners are then given the experience of being a resident with teams dressing one another in over-sized clothes, shown how it feels being transferred by hoist and being assisted by fellow learners to eat meals. This enables the learner to understand the importance of dignity and empathy in care.
The new-look induction training is proving such a success that team members who joined the company during the pandemic when in-person training was limited have asked to sit the course retrospectively.
Lucy said: “We want the best here at Athena Care Homes, that means starting at the beginning and giving our team members the skills and understanding they need to offer first-class person-centred care.
